Your Online Learning Experience

The GCC program uses an array of technologies and approaches to achieve a unique set of experiences and learning outcomes possible within an online environment. The primary course platforms are Canvas (learning management system) and Blackboard Collaborate (live web conferencing tool). Courses will engage you with a variety of programs and technologies, including video and internet telephone conferencing, discussion forums, online games, blogs, screen sharing, image mapping software, collaborative wikis, streaming video, podcasts, Powerpoint presentations, Prezis, good old-fashioned internet research, and more. Courses will adopt applications and technologies whenever they support the desired learning outcomes, and you are encouraged to expand your understanding of educational technology by bringing in additional tools and ideas to complete your assignments.

Through the online components of the program, you can expect to:

Participate in online courses with at least the same degree of rigor, engagement, and commitment as an on-campus program

Engage in same-time and asynchronous in-depth discussions and activities with instructors and peers located around the country and the world, using discussion forums, text chatting, and video and audio conferencing

Challenge yourself with projects and assignments that require critical thinking and help you apply the course to your own life, location, and work

Complete regular assignments with deadlines – at least one assignment per week per course – working independently on some assignments and collaboratively with classmates on others

Enjoy the flexibility of completing each week’s assignments and participating in asynchronous discussions at the time that is most convenient for you, while also having regularly scheduled “same-time” sessions (generally less than once per week per course) to connect with your peers and instructors

Experience the power of gaming, simulations, and other online applications and communities to develop your own global citizenship and that of your students